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All over the world, doctors are struggling with a rise in antibiotic-resistant ‘superbug’ infections – a problem that is becoming even more concerning in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic. Even though COVID-19 is caused by the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus, many patients go on to develop bacterial lung infections (pneumonia), which may be more dangerous than the initial viral infection if it can’t be treated. Bacteria usually become resistant to antibiotics thanks to genes carried on small circles of DNA known as plasmids, which get swapped between bacterial cells to spread resistance. This image shows the relationships between 10,000 different plasmids based on their genetic code, preferred bacterial hosts and other key characteristics, with more similar plasmid populations clustering close together and less related ones further away. Researchers can now apply this grouping technique to newly discovered plasmids, revealing important information about the genes they carry and how they’re likely to spread.

Written by Kat Arney

Kat Arney

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Dr Kat Arney is an award-winning science writer, broadcaster and public speaker, and is the founder and Creative Director of First Create The Media.

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• Image from University College London (UCL) Genetics Institute, London, UK
• Computational Biology Group, UCL Genetics Institute, University College London, London, UK
• Image copyright held by the original authors
• Research published in Nature Communications, May 2020